Chickadee doing the impossible
acrylic on masonite panel, 16 x 14 (2005)

I confess to having a soft spot in my head for these guys. As I have written before, they have this independent, feisty nature than demands respect even from the bully-boy blue jays.

In leafing through the internet pages of a site about dear Bancroft, Ontario, I came across a photograph of a chickadee perched upon an icicle. Now, just how many other animals in the world could (or would want to) do that? One aspect of my efforts as an artist is the desire to tell stories, or at least begin a narrative that the viewer of the work takes up and continues. Why is this bird there? What is its motivation? Just what will the creature do next?

Due to the modern wonders of e-mail, I was able to contact the lady who took the photograph, and asked permission to paint a similar image. I am grateful to her for this, and when next in the Baptiste Lake area, I hope to show her the finished work.